Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Hills behind the coast.
An introduction to the hills near Mullumbimby, where Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens look out over the Byron Bay hinterland.
On this page
Read the house
The house at the heart of Crystal Castle was built in 1980: a round central building with four wings and reflecting ponds, designed by the architect Edwin Kingsbury.
A guide can give context without turning a place into a backdrop. Notice how the lawns and gardens open onto views of the forested hills.
The hills
From the lawns, the view runs over subtropical gardens and regenerated rainforest to the ranges of the hinterland. Destination NSW counts about 14,000 trees in the rainforest.
Begin with a detail and ask who planted it, who cares for it and how it has changed. A photograph alone cannot tell you that.
A crystal chapter
Crystal Castle shows one side of the hinterland: a private garden where giant crystals from South America sit among subtropical and Australian plants.
Look at the meeting of the two: stone that formed over millions of years, and gardens planted within a single lifetime.
Make room for context
Pair this reading with the history of the gardens and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places or represents the people who run them.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
- Crystal Castle: History
- Crystal Castle: Shambhala Gardens
- Visit NSW: Crystal Castle and Shambhala Gardens
Links lead to the original publishers.
